Hailie Deegan‘s move to Indy NXT in 2025 was intended as a bold career shift from NASCAR to open-wheel racing, but her performance this rookie season has sparked significant fan backlash. After eleven rounds, Deegan remains at the bottom of the standings, intensifying calls from fans for her to reconsider her place in open-wheel competition.
Deegan’s Difficult Start in Open-Wheel Racing Draws Criticism
Since joining Indy NXT by Firestone, Deegan has struggled to keep pace with her competitors, consistently finishing near the rear of the pack. Despite a slight improvement that included an 11th-place finish at Laguna Seca, her overall results remain poor. After eleven races, she is ranked last among full-time drivers and has yet to secure a top-ten finish. Her points tally even falls behind some part-time competitors, highlighting the gap between her and the rest of the field.
Fans and commentators have expressed growing frustration, pointing to Deegan’s inability to match the race pace achieved by newcomers and rookies alike. Even drivers with less experience in Indy NXT such as Nolan Allaer and Kiko Porto have outperformed her, raising questions about her adaptability to this style of racing. Her average qualifying times place her near the back, and she often posts lap times nearly a second slower than the midfield runners, signifying a considerable struggle to compete on equal terms.
Background: Deegan’s Racing Journey Before Indy NXT
Hailie Deegan’s racing career spans multiple disciplines, reflecting her versatility behind the wheel. She first made her mark in off-road racing with the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series before transitioning to stock car racing. Between 2018 and 2019, she broke ground as the first female winner in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, accumulating three wins and ten top-five finishes. Following this, she advanced to the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Truck Series, where she logged multiple top-10 finishes but no victories. In 2024, she embarked on a limited campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, setting the stage for the surprising switch to open-wheel racing with Indy NXT in 2025.
Despite her adaptability to several racing formats, Deegan’s transition to Indy NXT has starkly exposed the challenges she faces moving from stock cars to the more technical demands of open-wheel competition, a path usually taken in the opposite direction. Her past successes on dirt tracks and short courses have not translated into consistent performance at this elevated level.
Rising Fan Frustration Fuels Calls for Deegan to Rethink Her Path
The debate around Deegan’s Indy NXT journey reached a fever pitch on online forums and social platforms, where fans openly debated her future in open-wheel racing. The sustained poor results combined with the competitive nature of the series have led many supporters to question whether continuing in Indy NXT is the right move.
“She’s last in points of anyone that’s competed in all the races. I’d say that’s not very successful.”
—Reddit Fan Commentator
Such sentiments underline the disappointment with Deegan’s performance despite the resources available to her, including full race weekends, access to data, and testing opportunities. Comparisons to other rookies who have rapidly improved and started contending for top positions intensify the scrutiny. Fans highlight her ongoing pace deficiency as more than just an adjustment problem, suggesting she has hit a performance ceiling.
Supporters who initially admired Deegan’s bravery in switching disciplines now see her results as evidence that she may be out of her depth among Indy NXT’s technically skilled drivers. This includes rivals trained extensively on road courses and karting, many with international experience from Europe’s junior formula categories. As a result, Deegan’s progression appears stalled after a promising start in earlier stages of her career.
“I applaud her willingness to try a discipline she’s completely unfamiliar with…but yeah it’s going about as well as you could expect. Especially when you have prominent F2 veterans in the field.”
—Motorsports Analyst
This highlights the steep challenge Deegan faces, competing alongside drivers with backgrounds in high-level formula racing. Although she is not directly racing the likes of former Formula 2 competitors such as Victor Martins or Roman Staněk, their presence within the racing ladder underscores the level of competition she has stepped into.
Comparisons to Fellow Drivers Intensify the Debate
The contrast between Deegan and other drivers with comparable or less experience reignites doubts about her suitability for Indy NXT. Fans have pointed out that drivers like Louis Foster and Bryce Aron, both newer entrants, consistently rank higher and show faster race pace, despite having fewer resources and similar experience.
“There are two drivers with less starts than H.D. that are higher in the points standings if that gives a clue.”
—Fan on Social Media
This comparison fuels a harsh narrative about Deegan’s struggles to adapt, sparking questions about her development pace relative to her peers. For critics, it signals that her inability to reach top-10 finishes is not simply due to inexperience but possibly a mismatch for the series or driving style.
Fan Opinions Split on Deegan’s Future in Motorsport
As frustrations mount, fans diverge on what Deegan’s next career move should be. Some view her continued presence in Indy NXT as a strategic misstep, while others advocate for her to return to areas where she previously excelled.
“Having expectations for Deegan is like having expectations for Cody Ware. It’s a business decision.”
—Critic on Fan Forum
This pointed remark reflects skepticism over how marketability sometimes influences driver opportunities more than race results. It compares Deegan’s situation to Cody Ware, a driver in NASCAR Cup Series known more for sponsorship backing than competitive success, suggesting that sponsorship and popularity may be prolonging her spot despite underwhelming performances.
“Hailie Deegan needs to go dirt racing… The open wheel experiment hasn’t worked.”
—Supporter Calling for Career Pivot
Many fans hold onto the memory of Deegan’s earlier achievements, especially her success on dirt tracks and short-course racing. Some suggest a shift toward endurance racing or involvement with female-focused teams like Iron Dames in Europe might better suit her skill set. However, without a timely change, there is concern she might struggle within the highly competitive environment that emphasizes pure performance over personality.
The Implications for Deegan and Open-Wheel Racing
Hailie Deegan’s Indy NXT struggles serve as a case study in the challenges drivers face when switching disciplines, especially from NASCAR-style racing to the technical demands of open-wheel cars. The strain between her marketability and on-track results complicates the conversation about driver development versus commercial appeal in motorsports.
As the 2025 Indy NXT season progresses, the spotlight intensifies on both Deegan and her team, HMD Motorsports alongside Andretti Cape, to determine whether improvements can be made or if a transition away from open-wheel racing is inevitable. Her decision in the coming months will likely shape the trajectory of her racing career more decisively than her earlier milestones.
The persistent fan unrest underscores a broader tension within motorsports circles about the balance between talent cultivation and business considerations, illustrating the high stakes and enduring scrutiny drivers face when competing at this level.
